


Vancentine Collection

by radbeetle



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-04-26 12:59:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14402625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radbeetle/pseuds/radbeetle
Summary: A collection of relationship related one-shots about Katherine Vance (Sole Survivor) and Nick Valentine.





	1. Spare Parts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written to go along with some previously commissioned artwork - https://radbeetle.tumblr.com/post/171745605139/

Katherine rifled through her toolbox. Things were missing. Things always went missing at some point, but she knew she had just put that screwdriver back earlier in the day.

She stuck her head back inside what was once the kitchen of her home in sanctuary hills, but now served as a sheltered workspace - and living room, at least on quieter days.

“Hey! Nick, have you seen my - ah!” The screwdriver was not, in fact, missing - merely borrowed.

Katherine’s sudden appearance startled the detective. Not much, but enough to loosen his grip on the screwdriver, which was currently deep in the mechanics of his right hand. There was the soft, but unmistakable  _pting_  of a dislodged spring shooting off into some unknown corner of the room.

“Aw, hell,” he muttered. That spring might as well be gone forever, and finding replacements was never easy. He straightened up and looked over to Katherine, building up the screwdriver. “Didn’t think you’d mind, as long as I put it back when I was finished.”

She tilted her head to the side, eyebrow raised as she peered at the scattered components on the table, then back to Nick.

“ You know, this seems like the sort of thing that might be easier with a bit of help” she offered.

He looked away, sheepish. He knew she was right, but… “ I’d hate to be a bother.”

Katherine smiled softly as she stepped forward, taking a nearby seat. “I don’t think that’s possible. Anyway, I used to work for General Atomics. Nuts and bolts are one of the things I know plenty about.” She gestured at the screwdriver. “Come on, let me help.”

“I’m not sure -”

“Aw come on, you’ve gotta put some trust in me” She pleaded.

There was just a hint of a smile on Nick’s face, tempered by his nerves. “I suppose there’s no one else in the commonwealth I’d rather have putting me back together.”

Katherine blushed as she took the screwdriver, quickly turning her attention downwards to the work in front of her. “Keep your eyes on your work, Kate.” she murmured to herself. It was hard enough keeping on task most days, and when Nick was involved… She bit her lip, trying to suppress the smile creeping up on her.

Judging by the look of bemusement on the synth’s face, it wasn’t working very well. “Now, what’s gotten you in such a good mood?” He slid forward to the edge of his seat, careful not to disrupt her work. “Care to fill me in?”

Katherine hunched forward, once again turning a deep shade of red. She stuttered a bit as she tried to redirect the conversation, digging in one pocket for a pair of tweezers to pry out… well, whatever this loose bit of scrap was. “I don’t suppose this would have been covered by the warranty?” As soon as the words left her lips she felt an instant pang of fear. Maybe humor wasn’t the best choice. She didn’t want to be rude, after all, and -

Her thoughts were interrupted by a short laugh from Nick. “If the Institute offered one, it expired a long time ago.”

Kate had to pull herself away - the unexpected response sent her into a fit of laughter, and she would hate to break anything important.

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Is it really that surprising? Ah, hold on… I need to grab something.” She hopped out of her chair and scurried off to her bedroom, leaving Valentine to wonder what had prompted her to leave so suddenly.

It wasn’t long before he had an answer - Katherine reappeared with a laser pistol in hand - with no microfusion cell loaded, of course. Before Nick could say anything, she had once again taken a seat and within moments had removed the plastic shell of the pistol, exposing the inner mechanisms.

“I should be able to harvest some parts from it,” she offered as explanation. “Maybe not to the exact specifications needed, but close enough to work.”

“Are you sure you want to take apart a perfectly functional weapon?” Well, she had already started.

“I think you need both hands more than I need a fifth gun.” It didn’t take long for her to break the pistol down into its component pieces - it helped that she wasn’t planning on putting it back together. She sorted through the pile, plucking a spring from the table and rolling it over in her palm. “Nick, here, let me see… this looks like a pretty close for.” She took his bare hand in her own, eyeballing the fit of the spring. She lit up with a grin. “I don’t think it could be a better match.” It only took her a moment to slip the component into place and finish her work.

She set her tools down in the table and sat back, satisfied. “Let me know how that works for you. Seems to me like everything was in the right place, but I  _am_  working without a service manual.” She looked back up to Nick, hopeful for a good result.

“Well, I’ll be…” He flexed his fingers, turning his hand over. “Wish I had you around a long time ago… I can’t remember the last time things ran this smoothly.” It was clear Katherine had impressed him once again. She was full of surprises.

Kate felt her cheeks flush red as she glanced away. She really wasn’t used to praise - especially coming from someone like Valentine. “It’s, ah… I’m just glad I could help out.” With her task completed, she had nothing to distract her, and she didn’t quite know what to do with herself.

Nick stopped as he headed for the door, and placed a hand on the back of Katherine’s chair. “I oughta get goin’, don’t want to keep you from your work. I’m sure I’ve already taken up enough of your time.”

She managed to speak up before he left. “You don’t… need to go. I wouldn’t mind your-” She stumbled over her words. “Wouldn’t mind some company. I mean, unless you’ve got something else to do…?”

“For you? I think I can make time.”


	2. One Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place at the conclusion of 'Long Time Coming'.

Katherine stood on the corner of the ruined road outside the diner, staring over the water as the sun set, watching Valentine. Today, days... weeks worth of work had culminated in a confrontation with Eddie Winter. Kate was sure his death had been on Nick's mind for far longer than she could imagine.

The sound of radgulls was the only thing to break the silence for several moments. So much has happened, and Katherine still wasn't sure what to think, what to say, but... She had to say something. She took a step forward, and placed a hand on Nick's shoulder.

"Hey..." she spoke softly, "That was a big deal, taking down Winter. Are you... going to be alright?"

Valentine glanced back at her and hesitated a moment. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's a lot to take in." He turned around, facing Katherine, brow furrowed. "Winter was it, the only reminder left of the original Nick Valentine. The last proof outside of some long lost Institute archive I was ever just a mechanical copy of some cop from a bygone era." He faltered, emotion creeping into his voice. "I'm not sure how to feel."

Kate let those words sit in her mind for a moment as thoughts of her past, of the world before the war, ran through her head. "I wonder... Does it really matter, in the end? Winter, Jenny... Valentine. They're gone. The world they lived in is gone. Now it's just us." The hesitation in her voice began to give way, turning to encouragement. "We're here, and we can make what we want of this place."

Her words struck Nick. "You know... you're right. It just took me until now to realize it." He looked off to the side, away from Katherine, before speaking up once again. "Because I WAS Nick Valentine. I had his memories. His fears. All that poor bastard's hope."

Katherine stayed quiet, concern etched on her face as Nick opened up. She wasn't used to seeing him so emotional.

"I remember getting the call to head to some lab in Cambridge to get that neurotrans-whatever. And the next thing I know, I'm in a trash heap, my family, my home, my entire life, gone. Then I discover, all those things, they weren't even mine." He was upset. Angry, even. Memories of a life, a world long gone - and one he hadn't even lived. "Everything I ever was belonged to Nick. I'd hoped with Winter gone, the last hint of that old world snuffed out, I could finally be free."

He looked back up, into Katherine's eyes. "Being out here with you..." It took him a moment to find his words. "What I finally realized - after all this time - was that taking down Winter, it wasn't about Nick, or Jenny, or even you or me." His voice steadied, confident in what he said next. "It was about justice, about doing what's right. And that act of goodness, that's ours. All the good we've done. That's ours and ours alone."

Katherine's breath hitched in her chest as she thought back to everything they had done, everything they had accomplished. Together. A feeling surfaced - one she had been aware of for weeks, one that was now stronger than it had ever been. She wondered... maybe it was time to act on it.

Nick continued, "And even if that's the only thing in this world I can ever claim as mine, not Nick's, not the Institute's, but mine, then I can die happy." He took a moment, before he concluded. "And none of it would have ever happened if it weren't for you. I'm not sure I'll ever be to thank you for that."

Kate took hold of the moment. "You don't have to, Nick. I'm... I would do anything for you. You mean more to me than you know..." She went quiet, stepped forward, and reached for his hand, taking it in hers. She found no resistance, and a look of realization, of surprise, appeared on the detective's face.

"Uh... wait, you're serious? I can't believe you'd feel like that." He fumbled; this was... this was new, but not unwelcome. "Glad to be wrong. It's just, well…" he smiled, a bit sadly. "Look at me. I'm an old synth. I mean, hell, I still don't really know if I'm the person I think I am. You sure that this is what you want?"

"I don't mind any of that... Never have, never will." Katherine thought for a moment. "Does it bother you?"

Valentine was more than a little taken aback. When the day started, he certainly had no idea that this is where it would lead. "Don't get me wrong, it's not that I... I wouldn't want to. Far from it. But a body in tatters and a head full of memories belonging to another man might make things tough sometimes. So, knowing that, are you in? Because I'm still game if you are."

Katherine couldn't help but laugh. "Tell me, is anything around here every easy? But, Nick... you're worth it. You're the most important person in my life." She leaned in, quiet, as her hand crept up and loosely closed around the collar of his coat. "Maybe... stop me if I'm being too bold." She whispered, hardly able to believe what she was doing. These past months in the commonwealth had given her more courage than she had ever known.

Nick's eyes lit up with surprise, not even so - "I don't think I want to."

Katherine's heart leapt into her throat as she pressed her lips against his, hesitant at first. She stopped after a moment, cheeks flushed, and started to pull back.

A hand on her back told her otherwise, as Valentine gently coaxed her back into an embrace. Pressed up against him, she spoke, softly enough for only them to hear. "Nick... I love you."

The moment felt like it would last forever, as he replied. "I love you too... Right now, that's all that matters." He placed a hand on Katherine's cheek, gentle around the scars crossing her skin, pulling her into another kiss. She sighed as she released the breath she didn't know she was holding, as her shoulders relaxed.

This was their moment, their world, and nothing could take that from them.


	3. Insomnia

 Katherine lay back in bed, starting up at the stars through a gap in the ceiling. It always took her ages to get to sleep, but she could tell tonight was different. It had been hours since she went to bed, but she was occupied with so many thoughts, of things that had gone wrong, of things that  _could_  go wrong.

She grumbled to herself as she tossed aside her patchwork blanket and sat up on the edge of the bed. After a moment of fumbling for her glasses, she got to her feet and wandered out towards the main room of her home.

It was lit by the soft glow of an oil lamp sat upon her desk, occupied by one of a handful of people in Sanctuary likely to be up at this hour.

Nick turned his attention from the folder in his hand to the exhausted woman standing in the hallway.

“What’s the matter - can’t sleep?” He knew the answer, of course.

“Mmmnhgh” was the entirety of Katherine’s response. She shuffled across the room and sprawled out on the sofa. After a few moments she asked, “What’re you up to at… what is is, like two a.m.?”

“Close - two forty-three.”

“ _uuuugh_.”

“Heh. Just going over some old case files - several of which were finally closed thanks to you.” Nick gestured towards Katherine with the folder in hand, before setting it back down on the desk. “It’s a shame you didn’t climb outta the freezer sooner - We’d have a much higher success rate back at the agency.”

“I only helped with, what, three things?” She pointed out.

“One of those  _was_  pulling me out of 114.” He countered.

“Best thing I’ve ever done.” Katherine offered a tired smile. She tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn.

Nick watched her with a hint of concern. “You really ought to try and get some sleep” He said.

“I wish I could.” Katherine muttered as she slouched forward. She hesitated, before speaking up. “This is… mm, this might be silly…” She trailed off, then looked up to Nick. He didn’t speak - the questioning look on his face was enough.

“I know it’s not something you gotta do…” She stumbled over her words a little, trying to find the best way to word her request.

"Will you come to bed with me? I mean - " she stuttered a bit, going red. “Not, um… just to keep me company until I fall asleep.” Katherine trailed off into nervous laugher, then went quiet and turned her attention down to the floor.

Nick raised an eyebrow, taken aback. Not something he ever expected to be asked of him. He stood and placed a hand on Katherine’s shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. “Whatever you need.”

Those three words meant the world to her right now.

She found herself back in her bedroom - still hers after two hundred years, though certainly a little worse for wear.

Vault-Tec certainly knew how to make a comfortable jumpsuit - hers had been standing in for pajamas for quite some time. She turned around, halfway through forming a thought, ready to ask Nick - well, wherever that train of thought was headed, she lost track of it, giggling softly as Nick removed his hat. It wasn’t a common sight.

“I’d rather not find it flattened underneath you in the night. This hat has been through enough already.” He loosely folded his coat before placing it on top of a lopsided dresser. Katherine hooked a finger under one of his suspenders, pulling herself in closer.

“You know I’d never do something like that.”

“Not on purpose, but you know you’re a heavy sleeper. You did wake up two hundred years after your alarm clock went off, after all.”

“And look how that’s turned out.” She smiled, tired, leaning her head against Nick’s shoulder.

“We’d best get you to bed before you pass out and take me down.” He ran a hand through Kate’s hair, brushing it out of the way before pressing his lips against her forehead. “C’mon, quit stalling.”

It really wasn’t too hard to convince her to climb back in bed after that.


	4. Seasonal Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on tumblr: https://radbeetle.tumblr.com/post/179115128064/seasonal-fluff-its-more-likely-than-you

The crisp autumn air was a reminder of how this had always been Katherine’s favourite season. As she stood atop the hill overlooking Graygarden, she couldn’t help thinking back to before the bombs had dropped. Taking a day off to just enjoy the fall.

“Hm.” She had a thought. “I wonder if there are any apple orchards still out there.” Maybe a few things had changed over the years.

“What was that?” Nick turned his attention back towards Katherine at the comment.

“Ah, nothing. Wishful thinking, I guess.” She sighed, a curl of fog escaping her lips. The weather had chilled surprisingly quickly this year - at least in comparison to two centuries ago. Today she was realizing that maybe she was just a little unprepared. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to suppress a shiver; short sleeves were a poor choice.

This didn’t go unnoticed. Valentine had always been the perceptive sort, and perhaps a little more so around Kate. “I’m thinking you might be a little underdressed.”

She quickly stuck her hands in her pockets and looked away,  unwilling to admit her mistake. “It’s not that bad…” she trailed off. It was almost an hour ago when she first realized she should have opted for something warmer.

Nick stepped closer, shaking his head. “I’m not convinced.” He shrugged off his trenchcoat. “Here, you need this more than I do.” He wrapped the coat around Kate’s shoulders, ignoring her half-hearted protests.

Her cheeks went red. “You don’t have to do this…” she murmured, watching Nick’s hands as he buttoned her up.

“And if I don’t, who will?” He lifted his right hand, brushing it against her cheek.

“Nick!” She yelped, startled. “Cold hands!”


	5. Long Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gonna start adding in the screenshots that inspire these, I think.

* * *

_You can't be a big hero every day._

Katherine always had to remind herself of this - more so lately, it seemed.

The past week had seen her tasked with clearing out a crew of supermutants; they had been spotted scouting out Bunker Hill, and no one wanted to take any chances. Especially not Katherine - she had gone in with a full set of power armor.

She was convinced this saved her life. One of the big green bastard had gotten the drop on her, and the ensuing brawl ended with her the victor, but a heavily damaged suit. It's why she found herself back home at sanctuary today, spending the day trying to repair the busted tesla capacitors.

Somewhere along the way, Kate absolutely had the thought that she shouldn't be pushing herself so hard.

That was probably around the four hour mark. By the time the evening had rolled around, and her suit was fully functional again, she had easily put in twice that time.

And she was absolutely feeling it. Three hours ago, everything had started to ache, and by the end, her entire right arm was going numb. She could hardly feel her fingertips. Exhaustion had set in ages ago, and she had stubbornly ignored it.

Not her smartest choice.

She wandered back inside as the sun set. The click of the door swinging shut caught Nick's attention; he had spent the afternoon with one of the many novels Katherine had claimed while patrolling the library a few weeks back. The book had seen better days, but then again, the same could be said about the detective.

He hardly had a chance to say anything before Katherine collapsed on the couch beside him. The springs in the furniture let out a pitiful squeak in protest.

"Long day?" The book was set aside, corner dog-eared for later.

Katherine groaned in response, slumping over sideways and resting her head on Nick's shoulder.

"Mhn. Too long, did too much. Thinking I'll just stay here for the rest of the night."

She wrapped her hands around Nick's, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I don't think that'll be a problem."


End file.
